South Africa: Remembering Nelson Mandela, advocate for children’s health

Among the many causes that Nelson Mandela championed, he was a powerful voice for children’s rights and access to life-saving vaccines. Nelson Mandela was universally recognised for his inspirational efforts to create a better world. His support for children’s right to health and, in particular, his direct role in building global support for GAVI’s mission, was less well known but just as far-reaching. As the founding Chair of the Vaccine Fund Board (GAVI’s initial financing arm), Nelson Mandela’s vision, determination and leadership were critical in the Alliance’s early days, helping to put the need to increase access to vaccines for hundreds of millions of children in the world’s poorest countries at the top of the international agenda. Our primary mission is life critical. Our goal is very clear: to address the gross inequities in child health still existing in the world today. Life or death for a young child too often depends on...